Canadian Game Awards 2026: Nominees Revealed & Toronto Returns as Host City

The Canadian Game Awards (CGAs) have officially unveiled their 2026 nominees, alongside key details for this year's much-anticipated ceremony. Marking its sixth annual installment, the event is set to return to Toronto, Canada, on May 21st, 2026. The show will commence at 8 PM EST at the John W.H. Bassett Theatre, located within the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This year's ceremony is strategically timed to coincide with the XP Game Summit conference, which will also be held in the city.

Founded in 2020 by Carl-Edwin Michel, the Canadian Game Awards serve as a prominent platform to celebrate Canada's thriving gaming industry, highlighting the achievements of Canadian-based developers and their game releases from the 2025 calendar year. Initially conceived as an industry-exclusive gathering, the CGAs have since broadened their scope, becoming a public celebration that engages both dedicated fans and talented developers, embodying a philosophy of "by the industry, for the industry."

Adding a special highlight to this year's announcements, veteran Canadian gaming journalist and the visionary creator of The Electric Playground, Victor Lucas, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Game Changer Award. This accolade recognizes his decades-long dedication to championing the industry and his significant positive impact on the Canadian gaming landscape.

Following these exciting revelations, the full list of nominees for the Canadian Game Awards 2026 has been disclosed:

Game of the Year

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
• Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal — Montreal, Que.)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
• Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)

Studio of the Year

• Compulsion Games (Montreal, Que.)
• Digital Extremes (London, Ont.)
• Rogue Factor (Montreal, Que.)
• Tribute Games (Montreal, Que.)
• Yellow Brick Games (Quebec City, Que.)

Best Indie Game

• Ambrosia Sky: Act One (Soft Rains — Toronto, Ont.)
• Ctrl Alt Deal (Only By Midnight — Edmonton, Alta.)
• Fresh Tracks (Buffalo Buffalo — Vancouver, B.C.)
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games — Montreal, Que.)
• Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)

Best Game Design

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, includes Montreal’s Motive)
• Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
• Eternal Strands (Yellow Brick Games — Quebec City, Que.)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)

Best Narrative

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
• Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal — Montreal, Que.)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
• Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)

Best Art Direction

• Eternal Strands (Yellow Brick Games — Quebec City, Que.)
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal — Montreal, Que.)
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games — Montreal, Que.)
• 33 Immortals (Thunder Lotus Games — Montreal, Que.)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)

Best Audio Design

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, includes Montreal’s Motive)
• Eternal Strands (Yellow Brick Games — Quebec City, Que.)
• Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)

Best Score/Soundtrack

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows (The Flight and Montreal’s Teke: Teke)
• Eternal Strands (Austin Wintory)
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Montreal’s Milk & Bone and Ruth Radelet)
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tee Lopes)
• South of Midnight (Olivier Derivière)

Best Performance

• Erica Luttrell as Melissa Mills in Battlefield 6 (Toronto, Ont.)
• Olivia Lepore as Swann Holloway in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Montreal, Que.)
• Momona Tamada as Oni-yuri in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Vancouver, B.C.)
• Peter Shinkoda as Fujibayashi Nagato in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Montreal, Que.)
• Elias Toufexis as Rémi in Hell is Us (Montreal, Que.)

Best Console Game

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, includes Montreal’s Motive)
• Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games — Montreal, Que.)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)

Best PC Game

• Aloft (Astrolabe Interactive — Montreal, Que.)
• Ambrosia Sky: Act One (Soft Rains — Toronto, Ont.)
• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, includes Montreal’s Motive)
• Eternal Strands (Yellow Brick Games — Quebec City, Que.)
• Foundation (Polymorph Games — Quebec City, Que.)

Best Mobile Game

• EA Sports FC 26 Mobile (EA Canada — Vancouver, B.C.)
• Elsewhere Electric (Games by Stitch — Toronto, Ont.)
• LHEA and the Word Spirit (Soul Fuel Games — Centre-du-Quebec, Que.)
• Rainbow Six Mobile (Ubisoft Montreal — Montreal, Que.)

Best VR/AR Game

• Chronostrike (Pentachromatic Games — Montreal, Que.)
• Elsewhere Electric (Games by Stitch — Toronto, Ont.)
• Fruit Golf (Coal Car Studio — Vancouver, B.C.)
• Prison Boss Prohibition (Trebuchet — Montreal, Que.)
• Verse VR (Lofty Sky Entertainment — Toronto, Ont.)

Best Esports Event

• Battle of BC 7 (Vancouver, B.C.)
• Call of Duty Champs (Kitchener, Ont.)
• Electric Clash 2025 (Toronto, Ont.)
• Raptors GC Tournament (Toronto, Ont.)
• Valorant Masters Toronto 2025 (Toronto, Ont.)

Best Esports Player

• Adam “mada” Pampuch (Canada)
• Brandon “Dashy” Otell (Canada)
• Keith “NAF” Markovic (Canada)
• Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken (Kelowna, B.C.)
• Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski (Canada)

Best Esports Coach

• Antonin “AEC” Tran (Montreal, Que.)
• Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling (Vancouver, B.C.)
• Loic “Effys” Sauvageau (Quebec)
• Mervin-Angelo “Dayos” Lachica (Ontario)
• Shaun Byrne (Windsor, Ont.)

Best Esports and Gaming Organization

• Raptors GC (Toronto, Ont.)
• Shopify Rebellion (Toronto, Ont.)
• Toronto Ultra/KOI/OverActive Media (Toronto, Ont.)
• Vancouver Surge (Vancouver, B.C.)

Best Content Creator

• Alex “Vansilli” Nguyen (Montreal, Que.)
• Ashley Roboto (Southern Ontario)
• Nicholas “NickEh30” Amyoony (Halifax, N.S.)
• Stef Sanjati (Toronto, Ont.)
• Victor Lucas/Electric Playground (Vancouver, B.C.)

Innovation in Accessibility

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
• EA Sports FC26 (EA Vancouver — Vancouver, B.C.)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
• Squeakross: Home Squeak Home (Alblune — Montreal, Que.)
• Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)

A new addition for the 2026 Canadian Game Awards is the launch of the Fan Choice Awards, presented in collaboration with the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC). Fans are encouraged to cast their votes for their favorite Canadian games from 2026 on the official ESAC website. The top ten finalists will be revealed on May 4th, prompting a second round of public voting that will determine the ultimate winners ahead of the May 21st awards show.